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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Renewable Product Technology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #346821
Title: Inactivation of virginiamycin by Aureobasidium pullulans

Author
item Leathers, Timothy
item Rich, Joseph
item Nunnally, Melinda
item Anderson, Amber

Submitted to: Biotechnology Letters
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/5/2017
Publication Date: 10/16/2017
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5891733
Citation: Leathers, T.D., Rich, J.O., Nunnally, M.S., Anderson, A.M. 2017. Inactivation of virginiamycin by Aureobasidium pullulans. Biotechnology Letters. 40(1):157-163. doi: 10.1007/s10529.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529

Interpretive Summary: The antibiotic virginiamycin is used to prevent and treat bacterial contamination of fuel ethanol production, and previous work has shown that active residues can remain in coproducts intended for animal feeds. In this research, strains of the fungus Aureobasidium pullulans were found to inactivate virginamycin, apparently by degradation. This work has potential applications for decontamination of virginiamycin-contaminated materials, such as animal feed produced from fuel ethanol production.

Technical Abstract: Objective: To test the inactivation of the antibiotic, virginiamycin, by laccase-induced culture supernatants of Aureobasidium pullulans. Results: Fourteen strains of A. pullulans from phylogenetic clade 7 were tested for laccase production. Three laccase-producing strains from this group and three previously identified strains from clade 5 were compared for inactivation of virginiamycin. Laccase-induced culture supernatants from clade 7 strains were more effective at inactivation of virginiamycin, particularly at 50 °C. Clade 7 strain NRRL Y-2567 inactivated 6 µg virginiamycin/ml within 24 h. HPLC analyses indicated that virginiamycin was degraded by A. pullulans. Conclusions: A. pullulans has the potential for the bioremediation of virginiamycin-contaminated materials, such as distiller's dry grains with solubles (DDGS) animal feed produced from corn-based fuel ethanol production.